Monday, June 30, 2008

Ain't it Grand part 2 (police, jails and Martin)

Some law enforcement factoids courtesy of the 2007-'08 Grand Jury Report:

The Fortuna Police Dept. is housed in a "well maintained" city building. "It has a well-stocked first aid kit," and "three fire exits are clearly marked and accessible."

The Hoopa Station "does not have adequate janitorial services," and their garage is a mess.

The Trinidad Police Dept. is housed in a remodeled home, which is "spacious and suitable for police operations," but they have no holding cells, so perps are locked in police cars until taken to jail.

The building housing the Eureka Police Dept. is showing its age and needs to expand.

Inmates housed in the Eel River #31 and High Rock #32 Conservation Camps earn $1.45 a day until they are "skilled," and potentially get a raise to $3.90 a day. When they risk their lives fighting fires that get $1 an hour. Half of that money is earmarked for "any required restitution."
It costs $14,000-$16,000 a year to keep an inmate at a camp, as opposed to around $45,000 a year for prison.
The inmates provide around $500,000 a year in community service. Public agencies including schools, citys, the county and the state can hire crews for $160-$200 bucks a day, but sometimes they work for nothing.

Major findings re: the County Jail: "Video images of sobering cells may not always be clear." Camera housings should be cleaned more often. Also: "There is no procedure to routinely monitor computer use of on-duty correctional officers." Periodic and random monitoring is recommended.

The 18 kids in the well run juvenile hall ( aged 12 to 18 ) get points for "positive behavior," and can earn "extra privileges." "The staff expressed that the point system is very effective in behavior modification." (I wonder if they ring a bell at mealitime.)

Would you be surprised to hear that citizen complaints at the Blue Lake Police Dept. weren't handled all that well? Probably not since it's been disbanded and the former chief is in the slammer, so that's not exactly a revelation. The GJ notes that, "The city manager apparently has not fulfilled his responsibilities concerning the police," particularly in supervising the chief. Hmm, maybe he should be dismissed. Oh, he was? The chief too? Well, nevermind.

OK. let's get serious for a minute. The Grand Jury looked into the death of Martin Frederick Cotton II, who died while in police custody, and, according to a tox screen, under the influence of LSD.

While they could not say for sure how he died, their investigation "uncovered possible police procedural violations," specifically witnesses reported that police punched Cotton in the head and kicked him in the lower back and/or kidney area.

Cotton later reportedly banged his head against the wall in his cell. Police were cleared in a Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigation and the D.A. did not file charges.

The GJ findings/recommendations:

No. 1: Two out of three agencies in the CIRT were involved in the Cotton incident and had conflicts of interest. Someone else should have handled the investigation, the FBI for example.

No. 2: The mentally ill population of the county often has contact with local law enforcement. "Law enforcement should make an effort to maximize their effectiveness in dealing with the mentally ill."

No. 3: The videotape system in the sobering cell where Cotton was housed did not produce a clear image. (See above.)

No. 4: The holding cell should be properly padded.

No. 5: HumCo Sheriff's Dept. policy and procedures, while "well-written," "may not have been followed" re: what they call chillingly, "Cotton's last incarceration."